Mass Effect: Aftermath
by LanceSolous13
Summary: After destroying the Reapers, Shepard and the rest of the galaxy are on a long road to recovery. With Miranda and the rest of the friends he's made over the years at his side, he just might pull through.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Get me all the Medi-Gel you can spare!" Miranda Lawson ordered the nurses pushing the gurney. "Listen to me Shepard! Hold on! Don't stop breathing on me damn it! Promise me!" she reassured Commander Shepard, who laid on the gurney in front of her.

She could barely recognize the man she loved. Dirt, dust, and plenty of dried blood covered him from head to toe. His armor had melted into a fine mess all over. What little skin that showed was either horribly bruised, badly burned, or caked in blood. His right leg had to have been removed to pull him from the wreckage he was found in. His face was near unrecognizable save for its basic structure. If it wasn't for the dog tags, no one would have known it was Shepard. It took all the effort Miranda could muster to not feel ill looking at what remained.

How was he still breathing? How did he survive this much trauma? Anyone else's body would have given out by this point. This should have been impossible but somehow, here he was, still breathing; still fighting to stay alive.

"Where is the nearest Medical Bay?" her concern was becoming more evident as she continued.

"I'm not sure if it's still standing, but Huerta Memorial isn't too far from here. They should have the proper supplies he'll need there." a doctor replied, reading through Shepard's medical history on their Omni-Tool.

Miranda silently cursed. She would have much preferred a personal lab on Earth or anywhere else for that matter, but Shepard's condition was too poor to move him. Despite the dirt and grime that now covered every surface, the Citadel was in surprisingly good condition considering everything that had happened. Huerta Memorial would have to do for now.

"His heartbeat is failing." A nearby nurse called out.

The group entered the nearest elevator. Without looking, Miranda slammed her Biotics into the console, selecting the proper floor. Hurry up. Hurry up. All she could think about was getting started on this. He could die at any second.

The elevator reached its floor and she raced out of it with the gurney. Huerta Memorial was crowded. The explosion had left thousands injured. Even more were dead. The back wing of the hospital had given way leaving the waiting room to be used for medical care. There simply weren't enough doctors on staff for the amount of people there, but they were trying their best. A small area behind a wall had only a small group of people in the area.

"Out of my way." Miranda ordered the injured civilians. The look in her eyes made them shutter slightly but they didn't move.

"These patients need treatment. You can't simply barge in here and order them around like you have control of the facility. We're badly under staffed as it is and we can't help everyone at once." a nearby nurse said. It was obvious she was trying to be polite but either her patience had worn thin or she hadn't slept in days, probably both.

"He needs medical attention right now. His condition is critical and we'll lose him otherwise." Miranda shouted, lifting and throwing a couch and a couple of chairs with biotics out of the large broken window to the now disgusting Presidium Fountains.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" the doctor grabbed her arm and forced it behind her back to keep her restrained slightly. "We have ten other patients in critical condition. What makes you think he deserves special treatment?"

A quick movement later and the doctor was on the ground, the heel of her boot to her throat. "Its Commander Shepard and he's only saved our asses! This is the least you can do for him!" she screamed with almost rage like emotions. She never usually showed this kind of emotion.

The entire Hospital suddenly became silent almost instantly.

"Now, get me some medi-gel and another doctor." The order came from between clenched teeth. She removed her foot from her throat.

The small group of injured civilians looked at the Gurney and the body that rested on it. They silently got up and moved away from the area, leaving Miranda enough space to work from. A few doctors silently moved Shepard's Gurney against the wall and started hooking up some machines to monitor him.

"Thank you." She said much more calmly.

Miranda quickly got to work on what remained of Shepard, applying a large amount of Medi-gel to his burns to at least numb the pain for him. The basic medi-gel formula would never be able to clear up these burns. An order would have to be made for better supplies. Getting Shepard stable needed to take priority.

Looking at the leg, the men who dragged him from the rubble made a clean cut but the tourniquet wasn't tight enough. He'd lost a lot of blood from there alone. She tightened the tourniquet quickly and applied medi-gel to the wound while continuing her thought. No quantity of medi-gel would ever heal a wound of that size. A clone or a prosthetic were the only solutions she could think of and it would take months to clone a leg in a high paying hospital, let alone a hospital recovering from a war attack. Maybe a prosthetic would work if he regained consciousness before a clone could be finished?

Shepard's body began convulsing. His breaths became labored and deep. He coughed. He coughed again. A mixture of blood and dirt sprayed from his mouth onto the nearby doctors and Miranda herself. She quickly wiped the blood off her face.

"His heat rate is dropping!" A nurse shouted, stating what Miranda could already know from the loud beeping. "The implants are sending him into shock!"

Before Miranda could say another word, Shepard's arm shot up and grabbed her hand. His head turned in her general direction but his eyes didn't open. Several outs of coughing and wheezing followed the action as blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. Did he know she was there? Was he trying to say something? Could he hear what was going on?

"Shepard! Listen to me! You're going to be fine! I'm here for you! Don't die again, damn it!" she screamed at him without thinking. Her emotions were leaking out again. Miranda clasped his hand in both of her own. "I love you Shepard." A few tears finally managed to escape.

His condition didn't change. He was getting worse by the second.

"Induce a coma. Now!" she ordered with confidence. The doctors fumbled with the tubes and the medication while trying to follow her orders. High pressure situations and no sleep made a deadly combination.

"Get out of my way." A female doctor with red hair shouted as she sprinted across the lobby to Shepard. She removed the cap of a needle with a green substance inside as she made her way. The instant she was within arm's reach of the body, she stabbed the needle into his chest. He let out one final cough of blood and dirt before his heart rate returned to where it was.

Miranda let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't realized she was holding her breath.

"This is Commander Shepard? I barely recognize him." the woman asked with a thick French accent and a hint of despair. "And you are?"

"Lawson. Miranda Lawson." She said wiping the blood from her face and clothing. Her usual white jumpsuit was stained now. She'd been meaning for over a year now to go shopping for some more suitable clothing but never found the time.

"Doctor Chloe Michelle." The doctor said with a weak smile. "I'm the attending physician of Huerta at the moment."

Miranda remained silent as she studied the Commander's body carefully.

"I get the feeling you two knew each other." She spoke after a few moments of silence.

Miranda hesitated slightly before answering. Cerberus was dead. She had nothing to fear any more.

"He loved me." The words were slightly awkward and unfamiliar to her.

"Loved? He no longer does?" Doctor Michelle pressed.

"No. I didn't mean it that way." Miranda stammered. She wasn't used to talking about her relationships. She didn't do emotionally attached.

"It's times like these where we need everyone we care for on the road to recovery." Doctor Michelle looked down at the Commander's body. "He's going to need those he loved and cared for by his side though the operation."

"You sound almost like you knew him." She refused to make eye contact. She couldn't.

"I did. He saved me from some thugs once or twice back when he first became a Spectre. I have him to thank for being in charge of Huerta today." A small sigh escaped her mouth. "I owe him my life two times over."

Miranda turned and looked Doctor Michelle in the eye. "Thank you for-"she started.

"No need to thank me, Miss Lawson. We all are in his debt today." Miss Lawson. Shepard always called her that. As much as she hated him calling her Miss Lawson, it grew on her. She'd come to love the name. No. She's come to love hearing his voice call her that.

"Call all those who he cared for. Tell them the good news that he's still alive." The doctor looked at Shepard again before turning back to Miranda. "Or at least for now he is."

"I'll contact the Alliance right away."

Doctor Michelle smiled before returning to her other patients. She seemed nice for a doctor, and for once it wasn't in some mad scientist ethics-for-sale kind of way Miranda was used to encountering in the galaxy.

Using her Omni-tool and waiting several hours on hold, Miranda finally made it through to Admiral Hackett.

"Hackett speaking. This better be important." And deeper voice answered on the other end of the call. He sounded tired and annoyed. Then again, Who didn't at this time?

"Admiral Hackett? This is Miranda Lawson. I'm calling from the Citadel. We've found Commander Shepard. He's still alive." She informed him.

Silence.

"And you're sure he's alive?" he broke the silence.

"Would I have called you if I wasn't absolutely sure?"

"Fair point Miss Lawson." Miranda once again found herself hating that name. "What's his condition? I'll send some Alliance Soldiers to keep watch."

"He's in critical condition. I…" She paused slightly. "I'm not sure if he'll pull through. I need to talk with his crew."

More silence.

"Understood. They're still at the Rendezvous point. I'm patching you through now." He replied.

The silence was beginning to annoy her. Jeff "Joker" Moreau finally answered the call.

"We were just in the middle of burying our dead, Miranda. I'll call you ba-" Joker started. It was hard to tell if he was angry or depressed. Having spent nearly a year on a ship with him, Joker was usually foreign to both concepts.

"Shepard is alive." Miranda stated to keep Joker still on the line.

"What? I don't think I heard you clearly." Joker responded. Normally this would be a sarcastic remark but the question was genuine.

"Shepard is alive. I don't know how but he survived whatever happened at the Crucible. I'm at Huerta Memorial on the Citadel, or what's left of it anyways. He's in critical condition. I…I'm not sure if he's going to pull through on this one." She quickly explained, trying not to falter her confidence.

"We'll be on our way over there immediately, but it'll be a few days till we get there with the Mass Relays down and everything." Joker's tone of voice had changed within only a few moments. He still sounded depressed, but certainly not angry any longer.

"Mr. Moreau, Can you do me a favor?"

"It depends on what it is. I don't think we could handle going after any evil Uncles of you-" he started making a joke before Miranda interrupted him.

"It would be appreciated if you could send me the contacts of anyone from the squad whos over here. Samara or Jennifer or-" This time, Joker interrupted her.

"Jennifer?" he asked. Then he remembered. "Oh. Jack. Yeah, I'll send you the information as soon as I can. There's…" he paused.

"Is there something wrong, Joker?" Miranda couldn't remember ever using his first name or his nickname rather than his last.

"It's nothing." Miranda could spot a lie from a mile away and this one was only a few feet in distance. "I'll talk to you when we get to the Citadel. Joker out." The called ended.

Miranda could tell there was something troubling Joker and it made her worry a bit, but she didn't have time to be worrying about things that are far out of her grasp.

An hour later, Miranda's Omni-tool pinged; the sound of a new message. Joker got the contact information for a lot of the old squad; Shepard's friends; The people he cared for during his life. She made her way down the list.

"Hello? Kasumi? It's Miranda. Shepard is alive."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Shepard." Miranda said again. Her voice sounded distant and far away as he focused on cleaning Garrus' gunshot wound. A hand grabbed his shoulder softly.

"You've been up for nearly 2 days now. Taking some rest would be a good idea. You've done more than enough for us. Doctor Chakwas can take over from here." Garrus said. Garrus' usual tone had hints of concern in his voice.

"I'm fine, Garrus." was all the commander could muster in protest.

"Shepard, as your friend, I think it would be a good idea to put yourself before us just this one time. The Collectors are gone and the crew isn't going to get kidnapped any time soon."

Commander Shepard looked over his shoulder at the Mess Hall. Nearly everyone was either being treated for their injuries or treating someone else. Doctor Chakwas was applying a small amount of medi-gel to some form of chemical burn on Kelly Chambers' thigh. Thane gave Joker a small shot, probably to ease the pain of any broken limbs. He didn't need to help much more than he had already.

"Shepard, your hands are shaking. You're barely keeping your eyes open. Go get some rest. We can handle it from here." Miranda implored.

"I guess" he yawned. "I could go take a rest for awhile."

Miranda took the bottle and cloth from his hands. "Go lay down in your room for awhile. I'll be up to check on you soon." she whispered softly in his ear. The Commander stood up and slightly hobbled across the room and around the corner. The sound of the elevator doors closing signaled his departure.

"He's pushing himself too hard." Garrus said. "He'll be dead again before he's thirty-three at this rate." Even if he was saying so in his usual slightly joking way, He was correct. Shepard was overworking himself.

"It's been a stressful mission. I would expect he'd be overworked in some way, but I didn't think he'd voluntarily keep going." Miranda said while wrapping some bandages around the turian's torso.

"And I didn't expect you to reject the Illusive Man. What changed your mind about Cerberus?"

What hadn't changed would have been an easier question to answer. Talking with the commander, actually knowing him on a personal and intimate level; it was all very different than reading a generic and vague summary of his life and who he was. She could never have seen herself falling for him, but she had.

"Shepard." Miranda answered.

* * *

The sound of the cabin door opening pulled Shepard out of his slumber. The room was illuminated by the alarm clock on his bedside table and the fish tank along the far wall. A scattered trail of his armor lead to him laying on top of his bed in only his boxers He'd passed out only a few moments after landing on the mattress. Shepard sat up and rubbed his eyes to see Miranda walk in.

"I didn't mean to wake you." She whispered. "I only wanted to make sure you were getting some rest."

"Is everyone safe?" he asked in a dreary tone.

"They're all fine, though; one of the crew is having some minor shock issues. Doctor Chakwas said he'll be fine but might need to stay in the med-bay for a week." Miranda explained, stepping over the fallen armor and sitting on the edge of his bed. She put a hand to his face. "What I want to know if you're safe."

He slid over to sit on the edge of the best next to Miranda. "For now, yes." Shepard stood up and leaned against one of the chairs. A heavy silence filled the air. The blue light from the aquarium reflected off his pale skin. "How many people need to die? How many lives need to be ruined? How many backdoor missions are we going to go on before someone recognizes this as a threat?" Was it anger in his voice? Or fear?

"We've won this battle, Shepard. You need to give yourself a break. Working yourself to death isn't going to help us defeat the reapers." She replied with a sigh.

"But they'll just keep coming. We barely stopped them this time. What if we can't stop them next time? We don't have any margin of error. We can't f-" Miranda stopped him.

"Hey." She interrupted. "Come here."

Shepard turned to face her. She sat on the edge of his bed and beckoned him over with a slightly nod of her head. "Come here." She ordered softly.

"Still impatient, Miss Lawson?" he asked playfully, walking slowly toward her.

"Still trying to maintain control, Commander?" Miranda teased back.

"Trying," he leaned in close to her, "But failing."

"Good. I'm almost out of moves." She said with a sexual tone in her voice.

Their lips met. The couple's tongues collided. Miranda put her arms around his bare chest. She could feel his muscles tense, filled with stress, as the two explored each other for a second time. Shepard was reaching for the zipper of her suit before she could even think about doing so.

"Shepard" she whispered with a gasp.

The Commander pulled the jacket top of her suit off and gently tossed it aside. As their mouths touched with passion, He leaned forward into Miranda. She fell back onto the mattress. Her hands slowly made their way down his back, gently grabbing and squeezing a bit. His hands reached behind her to undo the latches of her bra. He glowed a slight blue; His biotics were responding to his emotions and stress.

Shepard pulled away.

"Shepard?" she asked. Something changed.

He sighed. "I" the Commander started. "I want this. I truly do, Miranda. Just…" he gave a moment of pause. "Would you rather stay in here for the night?"

Miranda looked at the floor for a moment to collect her thoughts. Had he just refused sex from her? Even after spending a year on the same ship as him, even longer bringing him back from the dead, He never ceased to intrigue her; surprise her. She locked eyes with him.

"Of course, Commander." she smiled.

Shepard gave a weak smile back before laying back with his head on one of the pillows. Miranda slid her pants and boots off before lying next to him. The two looked up to the window in the ceiling and the galaxy far beyond. She slid her arm under his neck and rested the other on his chest.

"Do you ever wonder about how many other worlds are out there?" Miranda inquired. "How many forms of organic life there are? What were their successes and what were their failures?"

"All the time." He answered with a smile. "There's so much out there to see and learn; so many cultures to study and understand."

"I just hope they aren't all as aggressive as a Yahg. Nearly broke your implants." she yawned.

Shepard laughed. "Of course you'd be concerned about the implants more than me."

Miranda couldn't help smiling. "You ass." she teased.

Silence followed. The two lay in each other's arms. Enjoying the warmth and comfort the other brought. Her breath was hot upon his cheek. He turned his head slowly to look at her. She was sleeping soundly, using Shepard's muscular shoulder as a pillow. He sighed before looking back up to the stars above. Things were calm for once.

* * *

Miranda woke with a start. She didn't even remember falling asleep. The past week had been long and tiresome. Kasumi and Samara had been the first to show up to the hospital, only a few hours after Miranda had called them. Zaeed arrived a day later, with Jack and Jacob following the next day. Grunt was the very last to arrive, showing up the day before last. Sadly, she hadn't been able to contact Kelly Chambers. All that remained was for the Normandy to show up and everyone would be here for him.

Doctor Michelle had taken any curtained room dividers she could find and separated the back window of Huerta from the rest of the lobby for the group in stay in. Commander Bailey sent some C-Sec Officers to keep watch around the room a few days after Shepard had been found. Miranda herself had only left to shower and change her clothes at the apartment she'd been renting as a safe house for the last few months. The rest of her time had been spent reviewing medical history by Shepard's side.

Miranda looked around a bit. Samara was standing beside her, having just woke her up. "I've been informed the Normandy has arrived in the docking bay. They should be here momentarily." the Justicar said in her elegant tone.

Miranda nodded and stretched her arms. Yawning, She looked out the window onto the Precidium. It was only a week since the war ended and the Keepers were already at work repairing the damage to the Citadel. The lakes were clear of debris from the battle and the 'sky' of the Precidium had been fixed to its normal eighteen hour day cycle and six hour night cycle instead of the dull white light of some warehouse it was giving off a week prior.

"Where did Jack and Grunt go?" she asked when she realized they were gone.

"I believe Jack and Grunt mentioned going to track down some food for us." Samara explained. "It seems they have become friends since our fight with the Collectors."

Miranda smiled slightly. "I'm not really surprised." She stood up and walked to Shepard's body, studying the damage and scarring again.

After what felt like only a few moments later, Joker and the crew of the Normandy arrived at the hospital. Everyone seemed to be relatively free of injury outside a few cuts and bruises besides Joker and Kaidan. Joker's left arm was in a makeshift sling. Kaidan had bandages covering his right arm and some bumps in his shirt suggested even more were covering his chest. He also walked with a bad limp. A bottle of TM88-Peruvian Whiskey sat firmly in his grip.

Joker was the first to speak though everyone else probably had the same question. "What's his condition?"

A sigh escaped before she answered. "I'm not going to lie, it doesn't look good." Miranda gestured to the commander's body on the bed. "There are burns on almost every inch of his body and most of his armor is melted to the suit underneath. The implants we gave him from when Cerberus rebuilt him are completely fried. When they found him, his leg was trapped and we had to remove it to pull him out. When I finally was able to run some tests, I found that his right arm, just above the elbow, is infected; badly. His eyes were also implants from Cerberus which had to be removed. I want to remove it now but we only just got the proper supplies to calm his heart rate and stop the bleeding better. He's lost a lot of blood as it is."

She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I have no idea how he's still alive after all of this."

Garrus looked over his friend. He hadn't seen him in this bad of condition before, but, then again, Miranda had probably seen worse. She did spend two years bringing him back from the dead. "But you will be able to get him back on his feet again, right?"

"Of course, but it'd take several months in a high tech facility. I don't have the supplies I need for it to be that quick though. I'm pulling every string I can but the Reapers have taken a lot."

"This is Commander goddamn Shepard. He saved the entire galaxy from the Reapers ten times over. Doesn't that name mean anything to them?" the dark skinned marine said, agitated.

"It means everything at the moment; we all owe Shepard our lives, but it's not going to help any if the labs needed to clone limbs aren't operational." Miranda explained. She hated outbursts like that, but he was completely correct.

Kaidan stepped closer to Shepard's bed. He seemed completely ignorant to anyone else in the room. His eyes were focused on his friend; his brother before him.

"Hey Shepard." he spoke with his deep, rough voice. "I-I'm not even sure if you can hear me at the moment, but I suppose I'll have to take my chances as you did with me." He let out a weak chuckle. "You've saved the galaxy more times than anyone of us could ever repay you for. You bought me a bottle back when I was recovering from Mars and, now, I'm doing the same for you." Kaidan put the bottle of whiskey on Shepard's side table.

Suddenly, the bottle floated up into the air lightly. Kasumi lit up her omni-tool and uncloaked herself. She quickly opened the bottle and took a swig of it. "Hey, I promised him I'd be the one to buy drinks if he survived." She pouted, passing the bottle to Zaeed, who chugged a huge amount of the bottle's contents. Kaidan's usually cool expression glared at the self-proclaimed master thief.

"You too?" Garrus asked Kasumi. "Who else promised him drinks, I wonder?"

"I might have suggested a bar down in Rio once the war was over." Jacob spoke up.

"Well, I think Esteban and I would have treated him to a night of drinks and strippe-" James started before Cortez elbowed him, nodding in Miranda's direction. "but he wa-is spoken for so we probably would have kept it to just drinking." He saved himself.

"And I thought Shep and I were drinking buddies." Kasumi murmured out loud.

Kaidan stole his drink back from Jacob before he could take a sip, letting out a sigh when he realized that there was nothing left while Kasumi and James started talking together.

"So, is there anything we can do, Miranda?" Tali asked her. The Quarian was playing with her fingers nervously.

"To be honest, there really isn't. I finally have the supplies to remove his armor and the infection on his arm-"she started.

"No." Tali interrupted. "Is there anything we can do for you? You and Shepard were close. It must be difficult to see him like this."

Miranda was slightly surprised with Tali's question. "I've seen him in much worse but…" she paused.

"And?"

"And, it does hurt to see him like this. I spent two years bringing him back and he's still in better condition now than he was back then, but seeing him injured to this extent is more painful. Now, He isn't just some corpse on a slab. Now I know who he is, and not from some report." Miranda explained. "I'm not used to being attached."

"You've saved him once, I know you can do it again." she encouraged.

"Of course I can do it again, I never doubted myself, but I worry about how long this recovery could take." She sat down on one of the nearby chair's arm rests. "This could take anywhere from a couple months to a year at best."

"And we'll be by Shepard's side the entire way." Liara made her presence known. The young asari information broker carried a black sweatshirt in her arms. "Shepard asked me to give this to you if anything happened." She handed Miranda the sweatshirt. "He said it was important that you got it. I didn't really think anything would happen to him."

Accepting the sweatshirt, Miranda recognized it as an N7 Sweatshirt they give to those who'd served for five years or longer. She remembered it from that day she'd asked Shepard to meet her at the apartment. The weight of the thing seemed a bit off. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I'm only the delivery girl." Liara replied with a slight smile.

* * *

Miranda started the painstaking process of removing Shepard's armor. All the medi-gel she'd need was nearby for whatever she might find under the armor. She logically figured that the armor would protect the skin underneath, like hardened wax, but any mistake could cost Shepard his life. Now was defiantly not the time to be taking risks.

Very carefully, Miranda dug a small tool underneath the armor and lifted slowly to peal it off. Thankfully, she was correct and the skin tight suit worn underneath the armor was perfectly intact. After several moments of prying, his left boot came apart. His foot was perfectly intact. Underneath, if just a bit oddly colored from lack of oxygen in the melted armor.

Tugging at the armor some more, his leg was finally freed. It was soon followed by his soulder. She chipped away at the plating on his waist and it too fell apart.

Very quickly, all that remained was his chestplate. Miranda slid her tool under the edges of the armor and moved around the shape of the final chunk. It was larger than the rest and seemed to be proving difficult to remove because of that. After several minutes of prodding with the tool, Miranda simply dug her nails under and slowly and carefully pulled the chest plate off.

A small white square dropped from the armor. Miranda bent down and flipped the card over in her hand. On the other side was a photograph. It was frayed around the edges with a slight burned tone and the ink had slightly smeared, but the subject of the photo was clear. It was a photo of Miranda.

All Miranda could do was smile. Even on the battlefield, Shepard was keeping her close to his heart.

"I love you Joseph." She whispered as she kissed him softly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Miranda yawned. The light of the Presidium's digital sky blinded her eyes for a moment. It was too early. Her eyes needed to adjust to the sudden brightness. Sleep was one thing she wasn't getting enough of. Miranda needed as much as she could get. Shepard needed her to get as much as she could get.

Moving her arms, something was draped over her. Surprise awakened her mind. Someone had covered her in Shepard's sweatshirt; laying it across her like a blanket. Miranda sat up and looked around.

"Who-" she started to ask.

Jack didn't so much as look away from the window before answering. "You were shivering in your sleep."

"Thanks," Miranda answered, surprised that Jack, of all people, had been the one to do so.

"No problem," the biotic replied, still not taking her eyes of the Presidium. There seemed to be a mutual respect between the two.

Miranda hugged the sweatshirt slightly. It was warm. It was soft. The fabric still smelled slightly like Shepard; a combination of medi-gel and the smell of old paper from the books he often borrowed from Kasumi.

Then, she felt something; an odd shape. There was something inside the sweatshirt. Miranda sighed and slowly flipped the sweatshirt over to check the pockets. Except, there wasn't anything hidden in the pockets. They were empty.

Her curiosity rose as Miranda felt through the fabric to the object hidden inside.

"Is there something wrong, Miss Lawson?" Steve asked after noticing her flipping over the sweatshirt several times.

"There's something inside here," She explained. Had Shepard left her something? He must have given her this sweatshirt for some reason. Maybe this was it. Finding the seams, Miranda ripped the thread. A hand-held device and a stone fell to the floor.

Kasumi gasped. "A greybox," she said aloud while picking up the device. "Not just any greybox. This is top of the line," the mast thief said in absolute amazement. Considering her line of work, a top of the line greybox would be a work of art to her.

Miranda picked up the second object. It was a crystal. Holding it up to the light, it shone like a light bulb; throwing bright colors in all directions and hurting any eyes that stared directly at it. The gemstone was one of the most beautiful things Miranda had ever seen.

James whistled from the corner of the room. "Damn. That thing looks like it's worth a pretty credit."

"Hang on. There's a projector on this. Maybe I ca-" Kasumi started before the greybox lit up. The projection lens moved around slightly, examining the room, before lighting up the center of the room with a hologram. A perfect image of Shepard stood before them. His short brown hair and stubble looked exactly as Miranda had remembered it. Shepard's ocean blue eyes looked back at her. He looked like he hadn't slept for weeks.

"December twenty-seventh of two-thousand one-hundred and eighty six," EDI's voice rang out.

"Miranda, I assume that if you're listening to this, I'm either dead or dying," the recording said. "I had neural implants installed and am leaving this greybox with you as preservation my memories. I want you to play this message for whoever in the squad is still alive after the Reapers are gone. They deserve to hear this as much as you do."

Kaidan listened to the recording intently. That was only a few days after the Citadel coup. The memory of that day still played in his mind. The choices; the regrets; the entire day was something he could recall in perfect detail.

* * *

The Alliance Kodiak was in flames. The blue color of the vehicle was indistinguishable from the layer of black ash covering it. Cerberus had beaten them to their escape. The council looked on in shock as Kaidan tried to think of a new plan.

"Cerberus took out the shuttle! Everyone back to the elevator! Move!" he ordered as he turned around.

Shepard walked through the door. It closed behind him. His gun was drawn in his right hand and his left hand smashed the door control with his Omni-Tool. The Commander's usually calm and controlled expression was host to a powerful rage. His deep blue eyes were red and his cheeks were stained with dried tears.

Thousands of questions raced through the second human Spectre's mind. What was Shepard doing here? Why did he have a gun drawn on him? Is he trying to kill us all? Was he enraged by them or something else? Does Cerberus have him under their control? One question kept ringing in his ear; would either of them make it out of this alive?

"Shepard, what's going on?" Kaidan asked, drawing his gun.

Udina accused, "Shepard's blocking our escape! He's with Cerberus!"

"Just hang on." Kaidan told the council as he put himself between them and Shepard. "I've got this. Everyone calm down." Who was Kaidan trying to convince? The Council? Shepard? Or himself?

"We don't have time for this Alenko," the Commander barked. He'd only called him by his last name a single time before this; On Virmire.

"Come on Shepard," he started calmly. "Gun drawn on the Council? Kinda looks bad."

Shepard lowered his gun but his alien anger remained. "We don't have time to negotiate! You've been fooled; all of you!" he started. "Udina is behind this attack! The salarian Councilor confirmed it!" Was Shepard correct? Or trying to make Kaidan lower his weapon and guard?

"Please, you have no proof," Udina taunted. The human Councilor walked to Kaidan's side. "You never do!"

"There are Cerberus Soldiers in the elevator behind us! If you open that door, they'll kill you all!"

The asari Councilor spoke up. "We mistrusted Shepard before and it did not help us."

Udina turned and walked away; towards a nearby console. "We don't have time to debate this. We're dead if we stay out here." He started pressing buttons. "I'm overriding the lock."

Commander Shepard looked back at the door. The pad on the door changed from red to orange. It would be unlocked any second. Panic swept across Shepard's face.

Was Cerberus on the other side? If Shepard wasn't under their control, that would explain his fear. There could be dozens of Cerberus troops on the other side and he and Kaidan wouldn't be able to protect the council. But what if C-Sec was on the other side? That could also explain his panic. Though, if Shepard was working for Cerberus, Why didn't he kill them when he had the chance? It didn't make sense otherwise.

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not with Cerberus?!"

Kaidan sighed. "I better not regret this."

"You won't." Shepard whispered in relief.

The second-human Spectre turned to Udina, gun out and ready to fire. "Udina, Step away from the console."

The Councilor looked over his shoulder and glared at Kaidan. "To hell with this!" He started typing faster.

Shepard watched the lock flash a brighter Orange. Udina was nearly through the lock. He drew his gun and advanced closer to Udina.

The asari Councilor once again stepped forward. She put a hand to Udina's shoulder. It was met with Udina shrugging her off. She grabbed his arm. He grabbed her and threw her to the ground with a gun drawn in a single fluid motion. "To hell with all of you!"

"He's got a gun!" Kaidan yelled. He pulled the trigger.

Three gunshots rang out. Blood soaked the torso of Udina's clothing while a small stream slid down his face like a tear. The gun dropped to the tile as his body crumpled. His body hit the floor with a thud; a small pool of his blood soon followed.

For a few moments, everything seemed to be silent. He could see the asari Councilor stand up and take his arm. He lips moved but he couldn't hear a voice. Everything was so distant from him. Was this shock? Fear? A rush of guilt?

He blinked and cleared his thought. "What did you say?"

"Are you hurt?" she asked again. A small container of medi-gel was wrapped tightly in her hand. He hadn't even seen her pull it out.

Kaidan looked down at himself. There were no holes; no drops of blood; no wounds at all. "I don't think so," he answered nervously. But where had the third bullet gone? He turned around to Shepard and the turian Councilor.

Shepard was holding his right arm. A small trail of blood ran down the blue stripe of his N7 Armor. His face had only the slightest expression of pain. The asari Councilor ran over and quickly applied the medi-gel. Had the bullet ripped right through Shepard's shields? "Powerful gun" he muttered to himself.

"Are you-" Kaidan started before Shepard interrupted him.

"A single bullet isn't about to stop me," he grunted. He was trying and failing to hide the pain in his voice. "You should know that by now Kaidan." Shepard was still Shepard. He'd made the right choice.

A buzzing sound filled the air. "The door!" The turian Councilor pointed. Sparks flew from the seams of the door. Cerberus would be on them in seconds.

Shepard drew his pistol only seconds before Kaidan. The two looked at eachother and nodded before aiming at the door; ready for whatever would be behind it. Brothers in arms; Brothers til the end.

The door opened but it wasn't Cerberus standing behind it.

"Bailey?" Shepard said sounding surprised.

Capitan Bailey and a few Citadel Security officers were aiming their guns at Shepard and Kaidan. They put down their arms when they realized who they were aiming at.

Bailey stepped through the door. "Made it as fast as we could, Shepard," he said, looking around. "Looks like you-" Bailey paused when he saw Udina's corpse. "Took care of things."

"Something's not right," the asari Councilor spoke up. "You said Cerberus was targeting us. Where did their soldiers go?"

Bailey quickly answered her question. "Cerberus was right here but they beat feet into the Keeper tunnels when they figured we were coming." He looked the asari Councilor in eyes. "Sorry, Councilor, I'll say it plain. Shepard just saved the lot of you."

The turian Councilor turned to Shepard. "Then you have saved my life twice now, Shepard," he said with much gratitude. "I owe you both a personal debt and one on behalf of Palaven."

"Just promise me you're support against the Reapers and we're even," Shepard explained, but he seemed a bit distracted again. His thoughts were obviously elsewhere. What could be on his mind?

Then Kaidan realized Shepard was alone. He never went on missions alone. Where was Shepard's team? He expected at least Garrus to be with him; Garrus went always had Shepard back.

"Do you have any idea why Cerberus would do this?" the turian Councilor continued.

"Taking out the heads of our government would leave us scattered and divided. The Reapers could win without much of a fight." Shepard guessed.

Capitan Bailey interrupted their conversation. "All right people. Principals are evacuated. We got a tunnel and a million more places to secure. Move it!"

Shepard turned to run off but Kaidan stopped him. "Shepard, where's the oth-" he started.

"Later Kaidan. There's someplace I need to be," the commander said as he ran past him, not even bothering to look into Kaidan's eyes. He was entirely focused on something else.

* * *

Hours later, Kaidan waited outside the Normandy. He had his stuff packed and waiting in some bags laying on the ground. Garrus and Vega had gotten on board earlier without even saying a word to him. It didn't seem to be out of anger or distrust towards Kaidan, something was in their faces; something had happened that made them not interested in talking at all.

The automatic doors opened and Shepard walked through, still in his armor from earlier. His arm had been patched up but it looked like it might leave a scar. Kaidan couldn't tell but he seemed more distressed than usual. Shepard seemed even paler than he always was. He got the same feeling from Shepard that he'd gotten from Vega and Garrus; he'd witnessed something that hit something deep.

"Oh." Shepard said, surprised to see him. "Hey Kaidan. I wondered where you went. Is there something wrong?" His thoughts were still elsewhere but his words didn't carry the emotion they suggested. What had happened?

"I'm trying to wrap my head around this."

"You sound upset." Even when his mind was elsewhere, Shepard could read him like a book. Was this a talent of his or did he know Kaidan that well, or maybe he was easier to read than he though.

Kaidan sighed. "Just, it's not every day that you have an armed standoff with a brother," he started pacing slightly in the hall. "How it all went down, it's got me… I don't know- bothered?"

Shepard sighed as he rubbed his eyes and leaned against the wall. "Alright, let's hear it." Even when he was tired and stressed, he always had time for his own crew.

"If I hadn't backed down first, I feel like you would have taken me out." Kaidan confessed.

"I trusted you would listen to me Kaidan, and I was correct in placing my trust in you."

Doubts still lingered. "But what if I didn't? I almost didn't stands down Shepard."

Commander Shepard turned away, he didn't seem to be able to look Kaidan in the eye. Silence. "I didn't want to shoot you Kaidan; you're my brother, but I may not have had a choice if you didn't stand down. I'm sorry."

He felt hurt; betrayed; angry; upset, but he also understood Shepard was right. If you need to pull the trigger, emotions can't get in the way of that. It was one of the first things Kaidan had learned a long time ago.

Silence hung in the air between them for a few seconds.

"Thank you for trusting me, Kaidan," the commander broke the silence. "I don't think I could have lived with myself if I had to pull the trigger and lost another today."

Another? So, he'd lost someone during the Coup? Who? Was is that Cerberus girl Shepard had been seeing? As much as Kaidan didn't trust her before, he could trust her to some extent now knowing she wasn't controlling or influencing Shepard by Cerberus. He also didn't want to see Shepard dealing with the death of someone he cared for again.

"There's another reason I'm here," the major started. "Hackett offered me a position, but I'd turn it down in a second to join you on the Normandy again."

Shepard smiled slightly. Only moments ago, it seemed like he wasn't going to again. "Couldn't imagine meeting the Reapers without you Kaidan."

"Thank you Commander." They shook hands.

"Welcome aboard Major Alenko."

Shepard grabbed a couple of Kaidan's bags and started walking towards the Normandy. The major quickly pulled him back by the arm.

"Shepard, is there something bothering you? I saw Garrus and James get back on the ship and… What happened?"

Shepard once again didn't look him in the eyes. "It's nothing." A blatent lie from what Kaidan could tell. Shepard was usually better at lying. Maybe he didn't have the heart to lie? Or maybe he was purposefully lying badly?

Kaidan grabbed his remaining bags and followed the commander on to the Normandy.

* * *

"Before I open my memories to you, I want to explain why I'm leaving this behind in the first place," the greybox holo-projection continued. "A few months ago, I got an email from a friend; a very close friend, asking me to meet him on the Citadel. Naturally, I went to speak with him the next time I was there for refuel and restock."


End file.
